That was the case with Pongsak, who left his native Buriram province five years ago in search of better opportunities.
His pursuit brought him to Israel, where he often livestreamed on Facebook his job picking vegetables, with Thai rock music blasting in the background.
But on Oct 7, 2023, instead of posting on social media, he called his father.
“My son video called me to show me that there was a war going on, and there were firing and bombings,” Wilas told CNA when we first visited him last October during the first anniversary of the attack.
“He was shouting, ‘Hide, hide, hide from the bomb first. There are more coming. We must hide first.’ He was saying something like that for about 10 minutes during the video call on Oct 7.
“After that, the signal was cut.”
THAI VICTIMS OF OCT 7 ATTACK
The cross-border incursion killed 41 Thais, in one of the deadliest days for Thais abroad in recent history.
Pongsak was one of 32 Thais abducted by militants and taken to Gaza. While most of the Thai hostages have been released, he was among six Thais who remained in captivity for 15 months.
One senior diplomat said the Thai casualties and hostages are “forgotten victims” of the Hamas attack.
Behind the scenes, efforts to secure their release continued quietly.
